Resist patterns have hitherto been formed by applying a resist composition on a substrate to form a resist layer, prebaking the resist layer, selectively exposing the prebaked resist layer to light, optionally subjecting it to PEB (post exposure baking), and alkali-developing the exposed resist layer with a developer composition for resists.
As the developer composition for resists, for example, there is known a developer composition obtained by adding an anionic surfactant having a specific ammonium sulfonate group or sulfonic acid-substituted ammonium group to an aqueous solution containing an organic quaternary ammonium salt such as trimethylammonium hydroxide as a main component, as described in Patent Document 1.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent No. 2589408
However, when the development is conducted by using a conventional developer composition for resists, there arises a problem that a resist layer to be removed by developing has a low rate of dissolution in the developer composition for resists (low developing sensitivity).
Also the resulting resist pattern may have poor dimensional controllability (reproducibility to a mask pattern).